Protagonist of the series and heir to the Dragon Ninja Clan, Ryu Hayabusa is the eponymous example of a modern day ninja. His black falcon outfit's sleek design is reminiscent to that of the modern special ops agent; still, his tabi boots, ninja head piece, mask, scarf and shin/forearm guards are representative of the ancient ninja warrior. In great contrast to his deadly appearance, beneath the mask lies a handsome man capable of gentle expressions even, while still in his early 20s, Ryu's personality is that of a wise, composed man far older than himself. With this level of maturity, Ryu is perfectly able to act gentle and caring towards his relatives and friends, and very cold and deadly towards his enemies without hatred.

* AnimalMotifs: The falcon, specifically the Peregrine Falcon.** MeaningfulName: "Hayabusa" is the Japanese name for the bird.* {{Animorphism}}: Shown in the first Xbox game's ending, where he leaves by transforming into a falcon.* AntiHero: Type III at his worst, but mostly Type II. Ryu in the modern trilogy is pretty much established as this. Although he does have a strong sense of justice in his mission to punish evil, he has no qualms about killing ninjas from other clans and soldiers alike; in fact, it's made clear he ''has no hatred nor even a slight dislike'' towards any of them (only some fiends get to provoke Ryu's hatred). Ryu faces this as the harsh reality of a ninja's upbringing: death is a natural part of their world even against friendly rivals.** A notable mention goes to the first ''Ninja Gaiden'' for Xbox: in the very first mission, Ryu ''slaughters'' as many ninjas as he can find for his training routine, and they were from a ''friendly clan'', [[spoiler:despite Murai turning out to be the BigBad, but Ryu didn't take this into consideration then]]; the first ninja Ryu ambushes is also his first kill in the game. Ryu's reaction to his fallen foe is that of simple acceptance, since it was the right thing to do and the fallen ninja wouldn't live much longer anyway if he was that weak.** In the sequel, after having mowed down hordes of Spider Clan ninjas and fiends, Ryu in the end still pays his condolences to all the fallen who went against his clan and then walks away for his next mission.** ''Ninja Gaiden III'' elaborates this even further: described as a "Japanese dark hero", Ryu's remorseless "cut down the many for the sake of many more" routine is coming back to bite him in the ass due to the "Grip of Murder" curse that relates to the amount of lives he's taken. In one scene, a mercenary begs not to be killed because he has a family to go home to. While it seems the game tries to give the player the option of taking a life, the button prompt says otherwise and Ryu cleaves him in two.* BackFromTheDead: Quite instantly after being killed by Doku in the first Xbox game, albeit it takes months for him to recover completely.* {{Badass}}: One the poster boys for ninjas in VideoGames.* {{BFG}}: The Howling Cannon in ''Sigma 2''.* {{BFS}}: One per gamer: Dabilahro, Dark Dragon Blade and Emma's Fang.* {{Bishonen}}: Ryu's design for his ''Dragon Sword'' appearance, adding to the fact it was the first time he appeared unmasked outside the ''Dead or Alive'' series after Itagaki's new direction of keeping Ryu always masked in his main games. ''Ninja Gaiden III'' reveals his whole face as much as possible in cutscenes.* BowAndSwordInAccord: Just as the Dragon Sword is his main weapon, he uses bows often as his long-range weapon.* CelibateHero: Within the modern trilogy, Rachel and Sonia are obviously interested on him, yet Ryu shows no affectionate response towards any of them. It might be a case of respecting continuity and Ryu will eventually fall in love with Irene later, [[spoiler:especially now that Sonia is Irene's alias]], or it's an entirely new continuity and Ryu won't fall for anyone since there's some FlipFlopOfGod regarding the present games being {{prequel}}s for the original trilogy or a completely [[AlternateUniverse new setting]] with no relation to previous titles.** Worth noting is most of the flip-flop came from Itagaki: now that he has no relation to the series and Hayashi has given some {{continuity nod}}s to the original trilogy, Irene might be on the way for Ryu.* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Subverted, as Ryu did train intensively to reach the level of Master Ninja, [[spoiler:but his clan ''is'' in fact descended from fiends, which gives him power above other ninjas. This is also why Doku nearly succeeded in turning him into one]]. Plus, he can wield a massive battle {{a|nAxeToGrind}}xe/[[DropTheHammer hammer]], a [[{{BFS}} great sword]] explicitly said to be 100 pounds in weight, and a [[SinisterScythe gigantic scythe]] stolen from a Greater Fiend twice his height.* ClearMyName: The kicker in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', as he's accused of assassinating Irene.* CrazyEnoughToWork: In ''Ninja Gaiden III'', when Ryu's allies realize a fighter jet can't reach the Black Narwhal in time (it doesn't have enough fuel), Ryu proposes to ''jump between two jets on the way''. [[spoiler:Robert]] doesn't fail to lampshade the madness of such a manuveur.* DeathIsCheap: After being killed by Doku, Ryu resurrected as fast as he died.* ElementalPowers: With his Ninpo techniques.** PlayingWithFire: Fire Wheels, Fire Pheonix, Inferno, Fire Dragon** AnIcePerson: Ice Storm** RazorWind: Wind Blades** PowerOfTheVoid: Piercing Void* FightingWithChucks: Ryu can pick up and use a standard pair of nunchucks. He gains access to a pair of Vigooran Flails, a bladed variant.* FriendToAllChildren: All of the kids in the Hayabusa village look up to him, and his treatment of Canna in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is positively endearing.* GoodIsNotSoft: He fights for good, but he's perfectly willing and able to kill or otherwise maim his adversaries.* GreenEyes: Which contrasts with his Japanese heritage. Its tint of color tends to vary from game to game.* HandWave: At least in ''Ninja Gaiden 3''.-->'''Mizuki [=McCloud=]''': "How did she [Ayane] know about this place? It's classified top secret…"\\'''Ryu''': "Ninja have their ways."* HappilyMarried: With Irene as of ''Dead or Alive''; later games attempt to make it ambiguous by only going as far as to state they're still together.* [[index]]ImAHumanitarian[[/index]]: As of Ninja Gaiden 3 and Razors Edge Ryu is capable of turning into a giant flaming dragon that eats all regular enemies on screen restoring his health in the process. * ImprobableAge: Ryu reached the rank of Master Ninja in his early 20s while other known masters are in their middle ages or older. Not only is he the strongest in his clan, but continuity (all the way to ''Dead or Alive'') places him as the single most powerful ninja in the world.* InformedAttribute: The fact he became an antique shop owner in ''Dead or Alive'' was carried over from the [=OVAs=], and even then it's only mentioned briefly in his bio. We don't actually get to see him running the shop, or see the shop itself for that matter.* JackOfAllStats: When he wields the Dragon Sword he is this, as the sword itself is meant to be a balanced, go-to weapon for any occasion, of course other weapons can be better, [[DifficultButAwesome providing you know how to use them.]]* KatanasAreJustBetter: Quite literally, as despite a vast array of weapons Ryu finds, the Dragon Sword proves itself to be the best overall. Later justified since the True Dragon Sword is the only weapon in-universe capable enough to destroy Greater Fiends.* LightningBruiser: Mostly evident with the [[InfinityPlusOneSword True Dragon Sword]] (whether by its own or [[DualWielding paired with the Archfiend Blade]]), allowing him to teleport spam and deal ridiculous amount of damage in a matter of seconds. However, he also qualifies with most of his other weapons when fully upgraded.* LockAndLoadMontage: A cutscene following Chapter Two in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' shows Ryu is tightening the straps on his outfit and bringing three kunai with him.* MurderIsTheBestSolution: He kills without a flicker of mercy or remorse.* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Despite having been sworn enemies with Genshin up to his death in ''II'', he is absolutely ''furious'' at Elizébet when she defiles Genshin's body and insults him.* {{Ninja}}: Arguably THE most popular and iconic video game ninja of all time.* NotSoStoic: He can show brief bursts of anger, although both occurrences happen when he is cursed. In the first game, after thinking the curse is lifted, only for it to come straight back, [[UnstoppableRage he shouts at the top of his lungs in anger]].* OutOfCharacterMoment: In the OVA, Ryu claims he would abandon his duties as a ninja in his clan, if it would mean being with Irene forever. Contrast how he's portrayed elsewhere, as he's bound by duty and honor. May double as a ScrewDestiny.* AProtagonistIsRyu: One of the most iconic cases in the video game medium.* RedRightHand[=/=]TaintedVeins: In ''Ninja Gaiden III'', the Regent of the Mask curses him with the "Grip of Murder", forcing the Dragon Sword to be absorbed by his right arm. It corrupts Ryu's body with the pain and hatred of all the people he has killed, and will kill him within a few days; [[spoiler: all this is a scheme done by LOA to cleanse the Dragon Sword of all its corruption and use it to awaken the Goddess]].* [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou Ryu Hayabusa Is About to Stab You]]: The cover of ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'' shows Ryu pointing his sword at the viewer. The first NES game and ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' are less aggressive, showing him holding a kunai towards the viewer or unsheathing a sword at the viewer. Covers for the modern trilogy give him much more relaxed, almost casual poses.* SinisterScythe: The Vigoorian Flails from the Xbox title are essentially nunchucks with scythes on them, which return in the sequel. Naturally, the Eclipse Scythe is this trope, while a more traditional kusari-gama is added in for ''Ninjga Gaiden II''.* SleevesAreForWimps: Lampshaded in the Antarctic level of ''Ninja Gaiden 3''.-->'''Cliff:''' I wanted to ask you, Hayabusa… aren't you cold in that outfit?\\'''Ryu:''' [[TheStoic No.]]* SpinningPiledriver: Ryu is probably the most iconic user of this move in modern action games. Aside from the Izuna Drop, ''Ninja Gaiden II'' adds the variant "Underworld Drop" from the Blade of the Archfiend and the "Flower Garland Drop" from the Tonfas. * SpyCatsuit: The Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' gave him one sleeve-less ninja version (coupled with a ScarfOfAsskicking and CoolMask to boot), and it's been his default costume both here and in ''Dead or Alive'' ever since. Although the design changed in the details from game to game (especially obvious regarding forehead protection), it has become his most iconic look.* StockNinjaWeaponry: Kunais, shurikens, claws, nunchaku and kusari-gama. The subversion would be the Dragon Sword, as it's a katana rather than a ninjato.* TheStraightAndArrowPath: Goes up against opponents who wield machine guns or rocket launchers with nothing but his trusty bow, and more often than not comes out on top. He can even take out tanks and helicopters!* TrickArrow: Lightly used in the first XBox game. Explosive and armor-piercing varieties.* TheUnfettered: In everyday life, he's a pretty nice guy, if a bit [[TheStoic stoic]]. When he's on a mission however, absolutely nothing, let alone emotions, will get in his way, and if you're an enemy {{mook|s}}, even dropping your gun and pleading for your life won't save you.* WiseBeyondTheirYears: He's only in his early 20s, but his wisdom and temper are more of a man ''three times'' his age.* WorldsBestWarrior: Ryu is considered the "Super Ninja" amongst ninjas. * WolverineClaws: The Falcon Talons.* YouKilledMyFather: Ryu's motivation to fight Jaquio in the first NES game. All the more depressing because [[spoiler:his father, transformed into the Masked Demon by Jaquio, was a boss that Ryu had to fight and although he didn't end up killing him, his father still pulls a HeroicSacrifice from Jaquio's attack, pulling this straight]].

One of the head honchos at the CIA's Secret Auxiliary Unit and Irene Lew's immediate boss, A. Foster is a corrupt CIA agent obsessed with power, demonic power in particular. He attempts to coerce Ryu Hayabusa to fetch the Demon Statues for him in the first NES game. Foster shows his manipulative, ungrateful side when he orders Irene to assassinate Ryu and bring the statues back to him; not getting what he wants and with Ryu still alive, Foster shows up again in the third NES game (second chronologically) ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', plotting his "Biohazard" plan. His goal is to create a race of super-beings, and is indirectly responsible for Irene's temporary death, which sets Ryu in full force against him. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for Foster, H.P. Clancy double-crosses him at the last moment and he's killed in the end.]]

* BigBad: Of ''The Anicent Ship of Doom'' [[spoiler: at first]].* CIAEvilFBIGood* EvilutionaryBiologist: Plans to use the dimensional energies to create a race of energy-infused superhuman mutants.* {{Frameup}}: He creates a clone of Ryu and uses it to kill Irene. [[spoiler: She survived the assassination attempt.]]* SharpDressedMan* TheUnfought: Although some speculate he's the boss of the sixth level in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'' in a mutated form, it's really Ryu's Bio-Noid clone because of the way it refers to Ryu as the original. [[/folder]]

The main antagonist of the second NES game ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' and a warlord, Ashtar is the self-proclaimed "Emperor of Darkness". Said to be both a skilled warrior and a powerful sorcerer, Ashtar is well over six feet tall, and dressed in bulky body armor. With a cape is draped over his shoulders, his face is concealed by his helmet which has three spiky horns protruding from the top and both sides of the head. His mask appears to depict himself crying tears of blood. In parallel with Ryu's Dragon Sword, Ashtar wields the Demon Sword, a blade forged from the bones of a demon.

* BigBad: Of ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' [[spoiler: at first]].** BiggerBad: To Jaquio. When he first confronts Ryu, he claims that Jaquio was merely his subordinate, and that he was the true power behind his actions.* [[spoiler: DiscOneFinalBoss]]* EvilCounterpart: Of Ryu--both of them wield legendary weapons, and both are the champions of their respective clains.* MagicKnight: Don't let that heavy battle armor fool you; his magic spells are formidable.* {{Malevolent Masked M|en}}an* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Ashtar was there when both the Dragon Sword and Dark Dragon Blade were forged, and that was at least a millenia ago.* SpikesOfVillainy: His armor sports these.* ShouldersOfDoom: Ashtar rocks an impressive set of shoulder pads.* TinTyrant: He goes around in full battle armor.

Foster's accomplice in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', H.P. Clancy helped trigger many of the events during the game. Clancy built the Castle Rock Fortress over the ruins of Jaquio's fallen temple, as he and Foster found a continuous supply of life energy within the ruins; Jaquio's downfall left traces of evil surrounding the site, thus the fortress was built to harvest the energy as a power source, and used it on humans for experiments. He seems remorseful for this, however, as he eventually recruits Ryu to take down Foster. [[spoiler: This turns out to be part of his plan all along--he ends up betraying Foster by taking full control of the dimensional warship within the castle ruins, merging with the ancient craft. His ultimate goal turns out to be the destruction of humanity, which he hates for their warlike tendencies.]]

* AdamAndEvePlot: [[spoiler: he all but outright promises Ryu that he can bring Irene with him when doing his WeCanRuleTogether speech.]]* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: After absorbing the power of the '''[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: LIFE ENERGY ]]'''* CoresAndTurretsBoss: Clancy's second form* TheDragon: To Foster.** DragonWithAnAgenda: However, he doesn't agree with Foster's ambition, so he helps Ryu sabotage his plans.** [[spoiler: DragonAscendant: ...So he can put his ''own'' plans into motion.]]* [[spoiler: FinalBoss]]* EvilutionaryBiologist: It's implied that he's the genius behind the process of mutating humans by exposing them to Life Energy.* HumansAreBastards: He believes in this philosophy, which might explain why he worked for Foster in the first place.* ManOfWealthAndTaste: He sports a classy suit.* [[spoiler: MotiveRant: He talks to Ryu about his hatred for humankind before their battle.]]* [[spoiler: OneWingedAngel: Does this ''three times in a row.'' ]]* [[spoiler: PowerFloats: Clancy's first form.]]* RedEyesTakeWarning: After being transformed by the Life Energy.* ShoutOut: His name could be a shout out to American novelists H.P. Lovecraft and Tom Clancy.* SayMyName: Does this to Ryu [[spoiler: before assuming his third form.]]* WalkingSpoiler: Knowing Clancy's full role in the third game reveals a few key plot twists.* [[spoiler: WeCanRuleTogether: Attempts to goad Ryu into joining him before their final battle.]]

Heroine of the NES trilogy and Ryu's primary LoveInterest for the whole series, Irene Lew is an agent of the CIA's Secret Auxiliary Unit, working under the codenames "Sea Swallow" [[spoiler: and "Sonia"]]. Despite her status as an agent, Irene is more of a support for Ryu as she often finds herself captured and winds up being rescued by the Dragon Ninja. When she disregards Foster's orders to kill Ryu after defeating Jaquio, Irene starts to devote her life to Ryu. Sometime after the OVA, she marries Ryu and settles for running an antique shop, while aiding him from time to time during the ''Dead or Alive'' tournaments.

* ActionGirl: Specially in the NES trilogy, albeit she also has a couple of moments in later games.* ActionGirlfriend: Irene and Ryu were already an item in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', and she has her moments in it. * AdaptationDyeJob: Originally a brunette in the NES trilogy and OVA, but is a blonde as of ''Dead Or Alive: Dimensions''.* [[spoiler: ArtShift]]: [[spoiler: The current Irene in ''Dead Or Alive Dimensions'' uses Sonia's design, but the contrast is quite different from her ''Ninja Gaiden II'' appearance. This is due to the differences in the artstyle used in the ''Dead or Alive'' series before V, thus Irene had to look like most of the other girls in that game, even though Irene and Sonia should look exactly alike, since they're the same person]].* [[spoiler: BackFromTheDead]]: [[spoiler: After being sacrificed in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', the Dragon Sword uses all its power to bring Irene back.]]* BareYourMidriff: Her appearance in ''Dead or Alive Dimensions'', which is the only daring part of her attire now. [[spoiler: Even when she was "Sonia's [[HotterAndSexier shoes]]"]], Irene remains quite modest.* {{Chickification}}: Hit her hard in the OVA; in fact, she's not even a FauxActionGirl, but a DamselInDistress from start to finish.* DamselInDistress: At least once in each game she appears in, full stop in the OVA.* DesignatedLoveInterest: As showcased in the ending of the first NES game:-->'''Irene:''' "Wait, Ryu, what is [[StandardHeroReward the payment]] you already received?"-->'''Ryu:''' "She's right in front of me."-->''*BigDamnKiss*''-->'''Ryu:''' I don't even know your name.* EightiesHair: Her hair style in the NES trilogy.* FanServicePack, HotterAndSexier: Pretty much each of Irene's measurements were "upgraded" when Team Ninja modeled her in 3D for ''Dead or Alive Dimensions''.** YouDontLookLikeYou: As a result* FauxActionGirl: Even as a CIA agent, Irene isn't the most dependable ally.* [[spoiler: TheGunslinger]]: [[spoiler: Proved herself with pistols, machine guns and bazookas in ''Ninja Gaiden II''.]]* HappilyMarried: With Ryu as of ''Dead or Alive''; later games in the series try to make it ambiguous by only going as far as to state they're still together.* InformedAttribute: The fact Irene runs her "husband's" antique shop is only seen in a brief passage for the first ''Dead or Alive'' official guide that Tecmo released back then. This is only supported by the [=OVA=], as Irene never actually appeared in Dead or Alive until ''Dimensions'', and we don't see her taking care of the shop in it either.* MissionControl: For Ryu in ''Dead or Alive Dimensions'', and Ayane in ''Razor's Edge''.* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Does this as one of the few reveals in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom''.]]* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: In ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', Irene is supposedly killed by Ryu's doppelganger on Foster's orders. In truth, she had faked her death and was working with the U.S. Army to uncover evidence on Foster's crimes.* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Japanese romanizations found on their official guides for the original trilogy had Irene as ''Aileen''; the fansubbers for the OVA also spelled her name this way.* TenMinuteRetirement: The OVA shows Irene cutting all ties with the CIA. ''Dimensions'', however, shows she still has at least some contact with the agency.* YouDontLookLikeYou: After years in the shadows Irene Lew was brought back into the continuity in Dead or Alive: Dimensions, and she changed '''a lot''', being another character rescued from the classic NES series aside Ryu himself (who didn't change that much) Irene was updated in every single manner from FanservicePack and AdaptationDyeJob to NotAsYouKnowThem; just to hit the point home, you see Sonia from the Xbox series? [[spoiler:Irene and Sonia are one and the same.]]

Main antagonist of the first NES game, the sorcerer Guardia de Mieux dubbed himself "[[{{Woolseyism}} Jaquio]]" (''{{s|pellMyNameWithAnS}}upposed'' [[SpellMyNameWithAnS to be]] "Jaki-Oh", as in "Devil King"). While supposedly human, Jaquio wields powerful black magic, and his appearance is bizarre and uncanny--his skin is deep purple, and he wears a tattered red tunic with a hexagram embroidered on the front, with the purple skeleton of a demon draped over his body like armor. Jaquio is the chieftain of the Chaos Tribe, and he plans to steal the Demon Statue and break the seal on the Dark God, plunging the world into darkness.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: His skin is ''purple,'' suggesting either extensive body paint or an origin decidedly beyond human.* [[spoiler: BackFromTheDead]]: [[spoiler: Does this in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos''.]]* BigBad: Of the first NES game.** TheDragon: Implied to have been this to Ashtar when the latter reveals himself in the second game, claiming that Jaquio was merely his subordinate.** [[spoiler: HijackedByGanon]]: [[spoiler: Once Ashtar dies halfway through ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', Jaquio reclaims his title as the BigBad.]]* CameBackWrong: During [[spoiler: the second game]], the power of [[spoiler: The Dark Sword of Chaos]] revives him after Ryu beats him, but it also warps him to the point where he's little more than a snarling beast driven only by rage and instinct. * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Guardia de Mieux is his real name; Jaquio [[RedBaron is simply a title]].* FinalBoss: Of the first NES game. [[spoiler: Along with the second game, for that matter.]]* OneWingedAngel: He takes on not just one, but ''two'' of these forms during the final battle.* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Jaquio? Jakio? Who knows?

Known as Jô/Joe in Japan and "Ken" in North America for the NES series, he is Ryu's father, current leader of the Dragon Ninja Clan, and previous wielder of the Dragon Sword. Much like his son, Joe is a Master Ninja and in contrast to Ryu who trains for discipline and tradition, Joe seeks to surpass his limits. His preferred ninja attire of choice is a white shinobi shozoku (ninja uniform), although he's adorned with some armor around his body.

In the NES trilogy, Joe leaves Ryu with the Dragon Sword to engage in a duel (later revealed to be one of Jaquio's minions Bloody Malth). The outcome of the fight is not seen, but Joe winds up becoming controlled by Jaquio's magic. Ryu breaks the sorcerer's hold on his father and frees him. In the current series, Joe constantly leaves to continue his training, as Ryu states his father is "never satisfied with the power he wields". In ''Ninja Gaiden II'', Joe fails to prevent Elizébet, Queen of the Greater Fiends, from taking the statue sealing the Archfiend, as he duels with Genshin, Overlord of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Injured and blinded, he tasks his son to prevent the Archfiend from resurrecting.

Joe returns in ''Ninja Gaiden III'', encouraging Ryu to not allow the darkness of his heart, alongside the Grip of Murder, to conquer his very being.

* [[spoiler: BackForTheDead]]: [[spoiler: Returns in the end of the first NES game, only to [[DiedInYourArmsTonight die in his son's arms]].]]* [[spoiler: BigDamnHeroes: A minor one in the final level of ''Ninja Gaiden III'', where he and Momiji save Ryu from a bunch of chimeras he was having a hard time to defeat due to his curse.]]* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Done to him by Jaquio in the first NES game.]]* [[spoiler: DoomedByCanon]]: [[spoiler: Unless the modern trilogy doesn't end up negating future events set in stone for the NES trilogy, Joe will die before ''Dead or Alive''.]]* DubNameChange: Ken for the NES series, but the modern trilogy rectifies this back to Joe on both sides of the Pacific.* HandicappedBadass: In ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', it's implied he was blinded by Genshin in the previous game, due to the blindfold he wears over his eyes at all times, but he's still more than capable of kicking ass.* [[spoiler: {{Malevolent Masked M|en}}an]]: [[spoiler: As the Masked Devil.]]* [[spoiler: NotQuiteDead]]: [[spoiler: Turns out he survived the duel with Bloody Malth, but winds up getting BrainwashedAndCrazy.]]* TheObiWan: Ryu's mentor until he dies in the first NES game.* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Phoenitically, it can be either "Jô" or "Joe".* TakingTheBullet: Does this for Ryu in the first NES game before he heads to fight Jaquio. [[/folder]]

Also known as "Jungle Rat" Robert, he's a United States Army Special Forces operative who aids Ryu throughout ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', constantly revealing information about Ashtar. Although no different than a modern day commando, Robert proves himself useful to the Dragon Ninja, including being a reliable informer, following Ryu closely to the Tower of Lahja and surrounding the area with US Army forces to distracts Ashtar from finishing off Ryu. He proceeds to enter the Chaos World for the final battle, but Robert only goes as far against Ashtar, [[spoiler: leaving Jaquio for Ryu]]. While it seems he dies keeping the demons from reaching Ryu, the OVA reveals he survived, having quit the army and running a private eye agency to keep track of Ryu, but offering him any assistance the ninja might need in the future.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Robert, a highly trained soldier, after completely raiding a building full of mutants with just his friend Jeff and later all by himself, gets slapped by Katherine shortly after he lives through it.* {{Badass}}: Robert proved himself in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' from start to finish, aiding Ryu on equal grounds, planning good barricades with the US Army, holding off fiends by himself.** BadassNormal: And of course, Robert is just a highly trained soldier.* BloodFromTheMouth: After a run-in with the [[spoiler:newly-resurrected Jaquio]] in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', a heavily-injured Robert is seen bleeding from the corner of his mouth.* BloodKnight: While a peaceful guy most of the time, Robert does a long speech in the OVA about how the battlefield for him is not much different than what most men desire.* TheCameo: Appears in ''Ninja Gaiden III'' [[spoiler: as the fighter pilot transporting Ryu to rendezvous with Mizuki]].* CoolShades: Never takes them off.* FireForgedFriends: With Ryu during ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', later with Jeff in the OVA.* MysteriousWatcher: Introduces himself as one, and has other minor moments as well. * OneManArmy: Not to the extent of Ryu, but Robert sure knows his way within the Chaos World. * PrivateDetective: After quitting the army* RetiredBadass: Not for a very long time, but still long enough.* SunglassesAtNight: But Robert is badass enough to make 'em work.* WackyMarriageProposal: After killing dozens of mutants in a closed site with Jeff, adding a high chance of getting himself killed, when Robert lives through it, he proposes to Katherine seconds after in the OVA.

An immigrant from the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series, Ayane made her way into ''Ninja Gaiden'' in the Xbox {{revival}} of the series. She is from the Hajin Mon sect of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, which is apparently an ally of the Dragon Ninja Clan. Ayane is the primary choice for the Mugen Tenshin when they need assistance from the Dragon Clan as she has built a mutual friendship with Joe and Ryu Hayabusa. Even though he's leagues above her in rank, Ayane aids him on his missions, either by informing and helping from the sidelines or outright fighting alongside him.

* ActionGirl: Gets her chance to shine in ''Sigma II'' and ''Razor's Edge''.* AnimalMotifs: Butterflies, from her choice of clothes, to their color and her inconic sash.* ArtEvolution: To coincide with her appearance in ''Dead or Alive 5'', Ayane gets this treatment for ''Ninja Gaiden III'' with smaller eyes, more realistic asiatic facial structure and modest measurements. The latter might not be seen as an "evolution", though.* AttemptedRape: Her first mission in ''Razor's Edge'' begins with a terrorist breaking into her massage room while she's dressed with only a towel. He then tries to undo the towel. [[BullyingADragon Take three guesses]] [[TooDumbToLive at what happens next.]]** [[FridgeBrilliance Makes sense]] due to how [[ChildByRape she happened]].* BadassAdorable: She's small, young and cute, but extremely strong.* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Played straight in ''Sigma II'', but sharply averted in ''Razor's Edge''. Like Ryu, she is stained by her enemies' blood.* CanonImmigrant: From the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series.* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Almost everything related to Ayane is purple, including her hair, clothes, aura, ninpo, explosive shurikens, etc.** CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Purple everywhere! However...** TechnicolorEyes: Certain cut-scenes depict them as red with shades of pink rather than purple.* DangerouslyShortSkirt: The one she wears in ''Sigma II'' sure makes it easy to get a PantyShot.* DeadpanSnarker: Shows this trait when Ryu is not around, in ''Sigma 2'' and ''Razor's Edge''.-->'''Ayane:''' ''No shit.''* DemotedToExtra: Ayane only appears in ''Ninja Gaiden III'' to deliver a replacement sword for Ryu after losing the Dragon Sword due to the Grip of Murder. ''Razor's Edge'' expands her role though, just as happened between ''Ninja Gaiden II'' and ''Sigma II''.* EasyModeMockery: In ''Ninja Gaiden Black'', dying continuously in the first level results in Ayane giving the player the option to turn the difficulty down to "Ninja Dog". This results in her telling you that you suck for giving up at Normal difficulty; to further the mockery, she gives you ribbons to boost stats for the rest of the playthrough.-->'''Ayane''': Master Ryu-or, should I say, [[DemotedToExtra Young Ninja Ryu Hayabusa]]-it seems I have greatly overestimated you. [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou Oh, well. We have no choice but to proceed.]] I will support you in every way I can. Don't be overconfident; just do what I say and perform your duties as competently as you can. You must complete your task without fail.* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Being based on her fighting style from the ''Dead or Alive'' series, her moves revolve around this trope. This girl is totally immune to motion sickness!* FanServicePack: In ''Ninja Gaiden'', she wears pretty concealing clothes compared to her default attire in ''Dead or Alive''; in the sequel, she gets more {{Stripperific}} and has noticeably bigger breasts.** Note a year has passed between the two games, and since she's supposedly in the middle of adolescence…* FragileSpeedster: The fastest character in ''Sigma II'' and ''Razor's Edge'', but isn't as powerful as the other characters.* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In-universe, Ayane would never dare talk back to Ryu, but not because he's a Master Ninja and she's ranks below him, but because he's one of the few people who don't [[spoiler: brand her as a bastard child of the Mugen Tenshin]]; of course, this won't stop her from mocking him for giving up at the Game Over screen, defaulting to "Ninja Dog" difficulty and presenting him with stat-boosting ribbons.** When "Ninja Dog" mode is selected, it also changes the default title screen to a picture of Ayane. The implication is that Ryu gets demoted to a ''true'' Ninja Dog, thereby making Ayane ''his superior'' and consequently becoming ''the main character''. Now she's just insulting a {{Mook|s}} ninja, not the great Ryu Hayabusa.* GiantWaistRibbon: Sports one in ''Sigma II'' as a CallBack to her ''Dead or Alive'' outfits. One of said outfits appears in ''Razor's Edge'' as well.* HighlyVisibleNinja: She certainly isn't dressed for sneaking around in the shadows. Granted, that's not what she does in these games most of the time.* {{Jerkass}}: Averted, as Ayane doesn't show much of her base personality from ''Dead or Alive'' in ''Ninja Gaiden'', since she's dealing with mostly higher ranking ninjas like Ryu. Of course, this won't stop her from mocking him at the Game Over screen.** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ayane does treasure what friends she has and is ready to help Ryu and Dragon Ninja Clan whenever possible.* [[{{Ninja}} Kunoichi]]: Goes without saying.* MysteriousWatcher: Her appearance in ''Ninja Gaiden'' from start to finish.* PrettyInMink: Ayane's alternate costume in ''Sigma II'' has a white fur neck wrap and gloves trimmed with white fur.* ScarfOfAsskicking: In ''Razor's Edge'', which resemble a couple of butterfly wings in its ends.* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Purple Hair]]* YoungerThanTheyLook: Mind you, Ayane doesn't look her age even in her home series (she's 16 in ''Dead or Alive''). In ''Ninja Gaiden'' she's 14 years old, then a year older in ''Sigma II''.

One of the Three Greater Fiends of the Holy Vigoorian Empire, Doku is a fiend incased in a heavy, dark suit of armor, closely resembling an ancient {{Samurai}}. He singlehandly destroyed the Hayabusa Village, killing many of the Dragon Clan Ninjas and stole the Dark Dragon Blade. Doku's goal is to aid his master, the Dark God Vigoor, into converting capable people into fiends and conquering the world. Doku is Ryu's motivation to invade Vigoor, as he also killed his childhood friend Kureha. Although Ryu manages to find and defeat him, Doku's last resort is an attempt to transform the ninja into a fiend, but the transformation is only partial as Doku's disembodied spirit fades away.

Doku returns in ''Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword'' as a malevolent spirit haunting the ruins of Tairon.

* BackFromTheDead: Although Ryu destroys his initial body, Doku returns in a spirit form for a final showdown. How he manages to show up in ''Dragon Sword'' isn't answered.* {{BFS}}: Kitetsu* BlackKnight: Bonus points for Doku as the black armor is his actual body.** TinTyrant* TheDragon: Answers directly to Marbus, who answers to Vigoor.* TheFaceless: Since Doku doesn't have a proper body to begin with, he has no face to portray himself. Instead, he wears a mask as part of his armor.* HopelessBossFight: It's nigh impossible to defeat him in the first fight in ''Sigma'', unless you're an insanely skilled player. But even if you do, Ryu will die after the fight regardless.* LightningBruiser: While very heavy, Doku's capable of pulling off some fast-paced combos and slashes.* ObviouslyEvil: As if his introduction cutscene wasn't enough, Doku reeks of evil from head to toes.* RecurringBoss: Three times in the same game.* SpikesOfVillainy: Less than normal, but still there.* TakingYouWithMe: In his final moments, Doku curses Ryu in an attempt to convert him into a fiend and serve Vigoor.

The man delivering orders to the Vigoorian forces in the first Xbox game, Gamov is a bespectacled, green hat and coat wearing spy, who constantly trails Ryu through the Holy Vigoor Empire, proving himself very agile and quick in the trigger. While facing Rachel, he was supposedly working together with Doku for the Dark God Vigoor, but in reality, Gamov served the Dark Disciple, informing his master on the growing power of the Dark Dragon Blade. [[spoiler:When the Dark Disciple was able to get his hands on the weapon, Gamov is the first to fall to the evil blade]].

''Ninja Gaiden II'' reveals more background on Gamov, justifying why he was so agile and can fight Rachel to a stalemate: [[spoiler:he was Genshin's younger brother and part of the Black Spider Ninja Clan]].

* AllThereInTheManual: [[spoiler: That Gamov came from the Black Spider Ninja Clan and was Genshin's younger brother is not mentioned in the main story. You have to find Genshin's diary in ''Ninja Gaiden II'' and read the entry about his dead younger brother]].* BadassInANiceSuit: Gamov certainly doesn't look like [[spoiler:he came from a ninja clan]], considering the way he dresses and all.* TheDragon: For the Dark Disciple* GunsAkimbo, TheGunslinger: Packs two pistols in the fight against Rachel in ''Sigma'', among other things.* LennonSpecs* TheMole: Serves the Dark Disciple instead of the Vigoor Empire.** [[spoiler: Considering he was part of the Black Spider Clan, who were seeking the Dark Dragon Blade as well, it's likely he was planning on betraying the Dark Disciple as well.]]* MysteriousWatcher: Trails Ryu through the Vigoor Empire* [[spoiler: OffWithHisHead, YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness]]: [[spoiler:The way the Dark Disciple shows his "gratitude" to Gamov]].

The Dragon Shrine Maiden of the Dragon Ninja Clan, sworn to protect the Eye of the Dragon, Momiji's older sister and Ryu's childhood friend, Kureha is part of the Dragon Lineage was destined to play part in keeping the clan's tradition, being inseperable from Ryu since childhood she also wanted to be of importance, while he grew up to be a Master Ninja, she grew up to be a Shrine Maiden. Then as guardian of the Dragon Lineage Shrine, she was charged with the protection of the Eye of the Dragon, Kureha fufilled her task to death as Doku killed her in an attempt to steal the Eye of the Dragon; it was for her that Ryu went on a quest for vengeance towards Doku. Kureha briefly returns as an spirit in ''Dragon Sword'', aiding Ryu and Momiji against the Dark Dragon.

* ChildhoodFriends: With Ryu* DeathByOriginStory: Kureha's early death in the game triggers Ryu to a long and vengeful mission.* DisposableWoman: Originally, Kureha only existed motivate to Ryu with her cruel death, even though she would become relevant in ''Dragon Sword''. One can wonder why she has a voice actor credited in the Xbox game since we never hear a word from her.* MacGuffinGuardian: In the normal sense, Kureha is just a shrine maiden tasked with protecting the Dragon Clan's treasure Eye of the Dragon.* {{Miko}}: For the Dragon Ninja Clan, as being part of the Dragon Lineage is a requirement to be the village's shrine maiden, Kureha was fated to be one since childhood.* NonDubbedGrunts: In the Japanese track for the first Ninja Gaiden, Kureha has a weak death cry in her final moments, while in English track she hasn't. That's why there's no credited voice actress in the localization. Jun Shikano reprises her role of "grunts" in ''Dragon Sword'', which in fact she is right at home, as the characters in the game are portrayed in VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda grunts-only style.* TheObiWan: To Momiji in ''Dragon Sword''* PassingTheTorch: Kureha, as a spirit, hopes that Momiji will take on her sister's duty as a shrine maiden.* PosthumousCharacter: Kureha's background is explored in ''Dragon Sword''.* WeHardlyKnewYe: Isn't it sad, Kureha?

The Ruler of Hell and one of the Five Greater Fiend Lords of Vigoor in the first Xbox game, Marbus is the Greater Fiend who guards the Holy Vigoor Emperor, the mastermind behind the theft of the Dark Dragon Blade. In contrast to other Greater Fiends, Marbus has legions of lesser fiends as his direct followers, often leaving the dirty work for them only acting himself when he sees fit or worthy. Ryu happened to be one these worthy as Marbus was forced to take him on directly, the result was the Greater Fiend losing and targeting Ryu for his personal revenge in the future. Marbus returns in ''Sigma II'' looking for Ryu to exact his revenge upon him, yet he finds Rachel instead and is defeated once again.

* ArtEvolution: Marbus' design changed quite a bit when he came back in ''Sigma II''.* AscendedExtra: Marbus in ''Sigma II'' comes back with a ''sudden character'', he is now full of hatred against Ryu, full of lines and more demonic than ever.* CoolChair: Fitting for the Archfiend of Hell.* TheDragon: To Vigoor** DragonWithAnAgenda: That said, Marbus doesn't seem very concerned about his master being dead when he comes back in ''Sigma II''. In fact, he's less concerned about his realm and more about being defeated by Ryu.* FlatCharacter: For someone who is said to be behind everything Doku did, Marbus got much less exposition than his subordinate. Ironically, he gets more exposition in his small role for ''Sigma II''.* FlunkyBoss: The only boss to be this at normal difficulty in the first game. In a twist of this trope, Marbus' flunkies are ''previous bosses''. At higher difficulties, he hides behind Nicchae and Ishtaros, who are actually harder than he is.* ItsAllAboutMe: Marbus in ''Sigma II'' seemed more upset about Ryu defeating him than killing his master.** ItsPersonal* MeaningfulName: Marbus is named after the same-named President of Hell from ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''[='=]s Dante's Inferno, where he rules over 36 legions of demons, just as Marbus controls over many fiends for himself.* NotQuiteDead: Ryu didn't kill Marbus enough; apparently, all the ninja did was scar him and cleave off one of his horns.* {{Revenge}}* ScarsAreForever: While it didn't look like that in the first game, Ryu cuts off one of Marbus' horns and leaves him with a few scars in ''Sigma II''.* SlouchOfVillainy: Marbus does a good impression while he waits for Ryu to face off against his minions in the first game.

The leader of the Shadow Clan Ninja and Ryu's maternal uncle, Murai is a former member of the Dragon Ninja Clan who went rogue and formed his own ninja clan, while prefering to stay away from the Dragon Clan's affairs. Murai still wanted to keep a good relationship with the Hayabusa Clan, thus aids nephew by opening the Shadow Clan Fortress for Ryu's training routine. Murai is open about his extreme philosophy of the ever-increasing need for power a true ninja must possess, no matter the cost, so he tries to push some of it to Ryu by trying to make him accept the Dark Dragon Blade.

[[spoiler: As the Dark Disciple, Murai divulged the presence of the Dark Dragon Blade to Vigoor, who ordered Doku to raze the Hayabusa Village and retrieve it. As Ryu's RoaringRampageOfRevenge continued, the dark weapon grew more powerful, giving Murai the chance to take the sword for himself after Vigoor is destroyed. Unfortunately, he did not account for the strength of the True Dragon Sword and is soundly defeated by Ryu]].

* [[spoiler: {{BFS}}]]: [[spoiler: The Dark Dragon Blade]]* [[spoiler: BigBad]]: Of the first Xbox game* ILetYouWin* [[spoiler: EvilMakesYouMonstrous]]: [[spoiler: With the Dark Dragon Blade in his hands, Murai's body turns demonic]].* [[spoiler: EvilUncle]]: [[spoiler: Whether he was EvilAllAlong is never known, though the implication of forming your own ninja clan and going rogue is all the more telling that it might be true]].* FightingWithChucks: Murai's skills with the nunchakus are to be praised, since Ryu's use of the weapon is incomparable to his uncle, both in power and speed.* LargeAndInCharge: From what little we get to see about Murai, he appears the tallest and most muscular of the bunch; naturally, he ''is'' in charge of his own clan.* LightningBruiser: Faster and more powerful than the {{mook}}s; though slower, he's still quite capable of some nasty rushdowns.* [[spoiler: TheManBehindTheMan]]: [[spoiler: As the Dark Disciple, Murai was behind everything]].* [[spoiler: ManipulativeBastard]]: [[spoiler: Murai let the Dark Dragon Blade switch from hand to hand intentionally to feed its evil, growing power before he got his own hands on it]].* {{Ninja}}* WakeUpCallBoss: Oh so much. So much that being able to beat him means you are capable of beating the game.

The legendary weapon smith and shop owner who aids Ryu on his journeys, Muramasa is a fairly mysterious merchant who seems to have traveled across the entire earth, with a swath of knowledge regarding relics and antiques alike. Despite his frail, old appearance, Muramasa seems to know a few tricks regarding the sword, as seen in ''Sigma II''.

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: The price of weapon upgrades increases with the levels, so thousands of yellow essence will be spent upgrading weapons with many levels. In particular, the Wooden Sword will make some players focus solely on it and leaving other weapons behind to reach the maximum level. ** Inverted in ''Sigma II'' where weapon upgrades are free (but you can only upgrade one weapon at a time) and bringing him Crystal Skulls gives you a permanent discount. Finding all skulls halves the price of healing items, which is quite helpful at higher difficulties.* BackStab: Muramasa sneaks behind one unsuspecting ninja in ''Sigma II'' and backstabs him with a mantis sword.* BadassGrandpa: Muramasa still does some impressive things even in his advanced age, he still shows some skills with swords and can take care of himself pretty well as Ninjas who try to wreck his shop don't succeed in killing him.* TheBlacksmith: Muramasa personally upgrades all of Ryu's weapons if given enough yellow essence.** UltimateBlacksmith: That said, only Muramasa can handle all these legendary or downright demoniac weapons that Ryu possesses. * CanonImmigrant: Muramasa appears in ''Dead or Alive'', the 4th in particular; now owning a small Vegetable Mart, in which Lei-Fang and Hitomi fights over a cabbage. He also appears in the 5th ''Dead or Alive'', having been [[spoiler: apparently been helping Kasumi while she was in hiding]].* CoolOldGuy: Muramasa is said to be above 100 years old, and he still is a fairly modern guy, funny even.* ExpositionFairy: Muramasa often lets out some plot points that Ryu needs to advance in his journey.* MrExposition: In his introduction scenes Muramasa lets out directions about a place Ryu needs to go or about the situation the Ninja currently finds himself in.* NonDubbedGrunts: Most of Muramasa's average grunts for an elder aren't dubbed, they're straight from the Japanese track, unlike other characters who got their grunts dubbed.* RetiredBadass: Muramasa, the doddering old shopkeeper, makes carving up ninjas look effortless.** Which makes it quite hilarious when he says just after that that his old legs won't allow him to go at the top of Mount Fuji. This is dubious since he apparently managed to build [[DungeonShop statues of himself in the Underworld…]]* TooLongDidntDub: Muramasa's greetings aren't dubbed in ''Ninja Gaiden II'' and ''Sigma II'', he says ''Irasshai'' instead of ''Welcome'' to Ryu when his shop is accessed, which isn't even long anyway.* WalkingTheEarth: Prior to the games, it is said that Muramasa personally erected all of his statues that Ryu eventually finds in his journey, every single one of them.** Which would include those in the Underworld... that's some prowess indeed.* WallOfWeapons: In Muramasa's shop.

The main girl for ''Ninja Gaiden'' (Xbox) and fiend hunter from the Holy Vigoor Empire, Rachel is somewhat a tragic heroine. She and her sister Alma were afflicted with a blood curse that turns humans into fiends. By the events of the game Alma has already succunbed into a complete fiend. Rachel still maintains her human form and becomes a fiend hunter; believing that her sister has no more chance to revert back, Rachel sets on a journey to put Alma out of her misery. Rachel gets caught up in Doku's plot to bait Ryu, as the Greater Fiend also has Alma under his control. Rachel pursued him only to get captured herself; Ryu manages to rescue Rachel and in return she saves him in time for the final bout against the Dark Disciple. In the end Rachel seems to have become quite enamored with Ryu but he doesn't reciprocate. She's seen again in ''Sigma II'' during a fiend hunt, Rachel is looking foward to reunite with Ryu again.

* ActionGirl: While playable in ''Sigma'', becomes a full-fledged one in ''Sigma II''.* AnimalMotifs: The Snake, her health bar in ''Sigma'' is shaped like a snake, and her sorcery in ''Sigma II'' is called Ouruborus, the thematic symbol of a snake eating her own tail.* BigDamnHeroes: Rachel helps Ryu escape the Underworld of what it seemed a certain death for the Ninja.* BoobsOfSteel: Rachel's physical strength is proportional to her voluptuous bust. She can even handle heavy weapons better than Ryu at first in ''Sigma''.* CanonImmigrant: She finally appears in the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series in the UpdatedRerelease of ''Dead or Alive 5''.* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Dropped off the face of the Earth in ''Ninja Gaiden 3''. While almost ''all characters'' from the series (old trilogy to present generation) get a nod, Rachel ceased to exist.* DistressedDamsel: After Doku captures her, Rachel spends the rest of the story like this.* {{Dogged Nice G|uy}}irl: In a rare female example, Rachel by the end of the first Xbox game has taken quite a liking to Ryu, but he promptly seems to refuse, and going by the series' continuity Rachel isn't going anywhere with Ryu. * DropTheHammer: War Hammer (which looks like an axe instead) in the first game, Inferno Hammer (which looks like a hammer this time around) in ''Sigma II''.* FauxActionGirl: In the original Xbox game Rachel wasn't playable so in story segments she falls straight into this.* GatlingGood: Rachel sports a Gatling Gun as her projectile weapon in ''Sigma II''.** [[SwordAndGun Hammer And Gun]]: Her movelist has some oddities like the "SSSO" combo, which consists of melee attacks quickly followed by a gun salvo.* HopelessSuitor: The Xbox continuity is established as prequels to the NES and then ''Dead or Alive'' continuity, by then Ryu is already HappilyMarried, certainly not with Rachel.* HotWitch: Rachel's super art is called sorcery in ''Sigma II'' after all.* InformedAbility: The guidebook states that she has the ability to sense when fiends are nearby, but this does not affect gameplay at all.* InformedAttractiveness: Before she is encountered Ryu finds a dead ninja's diary that refers to a woman who fights the fiends and is very beautiful despite her ferocity in battle. (We never find out if Ryu agrees with this assessment.)* KillTheOnesYouLove: Rachel has reached this conclusion with her beloved sister Alma, she doesn't think there is other way to save her sister anymore.* MightyGlacier: As strong as she is, she lacks Ryu's speed and agility.* PowerCrystal: Rachel's crystal earrings are magically enhanced.* SomethingAboutARose: Rachel's sorcery in ''Sigma II'' is rose-themed and petals flown around it.* {{Stripperiffic}}: Rachel's choice of clothes for fiend hunting are unique to say the least.* [[VariableLengthChain Variable Length Grappling Hook]]: Seriously, how ''long'' can the rope of her grappling hook get, and how does she manage to reel it back into that tiny arm device? In the CollapsingLair she doesn't even seem to be grappled to anything. We don't see the end of the rope, she's just… suspended.* WaifFu: Rachel is very strong despite her slender figure, due her cursed fiend blood she can best enemies many times her size and obviously more muscular than her.

Known to the Empire as the Holy Vigoorian Emperor, this is his human form to his God form, the original Evil Deity who spawned the Fiends. To the commoners of the Holy Vigoorian Empire, Vigoor is worshiped as a Supreme Holy Deity, leader of their Holy Vigoorian Order and the absolute authority in their lives. After his defeat in the first Xbox title, a plan is set into motion in the NDS sequel to ressurect him by the ancient goddesses Ishtaros and Nicchea, using the Dark Dragon statues to do so, but it fails as Ryu manages to destroy the statues and kill Ishtaros, then as last ditch Nicchae uses her sister's remains to ressurect Vigoor, it succeeds only for the Dark Dragon to use Vigoor's energy and ressurect himself.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The first fight against his angelic form.* BackForTheDead: Comes back in ''Dragon Sword'', only to die shortly after.* BigBad: Until Murai/Dark Disciple is revealed to be the true Big Bad of the game.* ClippedWingAngel: His decayed Chaos Devil form.* {{Expy}}: of Mundus from DevilMayCry* FlatCharacter: The patron saint and deity of Vigoor Empire; doesn't have a single line, passage or mention of his personality, he is just a boss fight that the player must pass through.* LightIsNotGood: His stone angel form.* PhysicalGod: Introduced as such, [[{{Retcon}} changed later, as he is not the only one]].* RaymanianLimbs* {{Retcon}}: In the first Xbox game Vigoor is also referred as ''Dark God Vigoor'' aside from his Holy Vigoor Emperor title, implying that he was the ''the'' Archfiend, a PhysicalGod beyond all archfiends, then comes ''Ninja Gaiden II'' (Xbox 360) and reffers to him as ''Supreme Archfiend Vigoor'', the same rank as Vazdah, changing Vigoor from ''the only'' to one of a ''possible group''.** [[spoiler:Given the Vazdah is essentially his son, however…]]* {{Satan}}: Only in the first Xbox game and NDS sequel, the Xbox 360 sequel kind of [[{{Retcon}} makes]] ''[[{{Retcon}} a]]'' [[{{Retcon}} devil]]. [[spoiler:Unless you consider that being born from [[MonsterProgenitor Vigoor's mind and body]] makes Vazdah TheAntichrist, anyway.]][[/folder]]

The last Dragon Shrine Maiden, Kureha's younger sister and Ryu's apprentice, Momiji eventually replaces her sister's place as a distinguished Dragon Lineage shrine maiden, during Doku's invasion she was undergoing her ninja training in another village thus Momoji was spared of the same fate as her sister; hearing about Kureha's death, Momiji felt powerless and made a vow to become much stronger in her sister's name and taking on the task of protecting the clan's treasure, the Eye of the Dragon. With Momiji's new resolve Ryu takes her under his direct tutoring, making Momiji his official apprentice. In the clash in the DS game, Momiji is captured by Nicchae, is up to Ryu to rescue her, after the Dark Dragon's defeat Momiji goes back to her training under Ryu's guidance. Momiji is seen again in ''Sigma II'' where she definitely became stronger and more than capable of fighting on her own.

* ActionGirl: Gets to be one for a bit in Way of The Kunoichi mode for ''Dragon Sword'', becomes a full-fledged one from ''Sigma II'' onwards.* TheApprentice: Of Hayabusa, specially in ''Shadow Dragon''.* AsianRuneChant: Utters one in ''III'' in the cutscene preceding the Obaba boss fight to conjure a barrier.* BadassPreacher: A rare Eastern ''female'' example. [[{{Miko}} Mikos]] don't fight, and much less as freaking ninjas, but Momiji excels in both fronts just the same.* BackToBackBadasses[=/=]StudentAndMasterTeam: She fight alongside Ryu during an entire chapter in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', proving that her actions in ''Sigma 2'' weren't a matter of luck.* BladeOnAStick: Her naginata[[note]]a japanese spear, initially one of the few weapons that women would be allowed to use in Japan.[[/note]], another weapon common for popular portrayals of shrine maidens.** NaginatasAreFeminine: Current trope page image.* BoobsOfSteel: While not quite to the extent of Rachel, she is still quite well endowed ''and'' kicks a lot of ass. * CanonImmigrant: Like Rachel, she finally appears in the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series in the UpdatedRerelease of ''Dead or Alive 5''.** She also appears in the Wii U Updated Release of ''[[WarriorsOrochi Warriors Orochi 3]]''* CoolBigSis: She's shown as this to the children of the Hayabusa village.* DoubleJump: Probably her most unique skill. She's the only character in the series who can do it, which opens up her fighting possibilities a lot. Due to her being a Technique character in Warriors Orochi 3, she can't do this in that game.* FauxActionGirl: Despite her best efforts, she gets kidnapped at the beginning of ''Dragon Sword'' quite easily. However, it doesn't take long for her to [[TookALevelInBadass become way stronger]] and perfectly capable to defend herself by the time of ''Sigma II''.* FriendToAllChildren: Case in point in ''Sigma II''; when the Tengu Brothers kidnap ninja-in-training Sanji, she personally pursues them all the way to Tokyo to save him.* HairDecorations: Always wears a white hair clip on the right side of her head.* [[{{Ninja}} Kunoichi]]: Originally she was only a Ninja (or rather Kunoichi) in training, then Kureha dies and Momiji had no other choice but to replace her sister due their Dragon Lineage. Although that doesn't stop her [[BadassPreacher from maintaining her ninja skills almost entirely]].* JackOfAllStats: In ''Sigma II'' she is this for the girls, whilst Ayane is fast but weak and Rachel is the opposite, Momiji is balanced between the two.* LadyOfWar: Beautiful and feminine, yet strong and deadly.* [[LastOfHisKind Last of Her Kind]]: After Kureha's death, Momiji is the only person worthy of guarding the Eye of The Dragon; much like her sister Kureha, Momiji descends from the Dragon Lineage.* MacGuffinGuardian: In the normal sense same as Kureha, Momiji is not only a Ninja but a shrine maiden tasked with protecting the Dragon Clan's treasure Eye of the Dragon.* TheMedic: Sort of. She uses her powers to soothe the pain in Ryu's cursed arm in ''Ninja Gaiden 3''.** CombatMedic: She does it in middle of the stage, albeit only briefly.* {{Miko}}: Replaced Kureha at being the guardian of the Eye of The Dragon, now Momiji is a Ninja ''and'' a Miko.* MyGreatestFailure: Momiji blames herself for Kureha's death to some extent, she was taking her Ninja training in another village at the time while Doku wrecked the Hayabusa Village and killed her sister.* RapunzelHair: Even done up in a ponytail, her hair reaches her waist.* SideBoob: Her default outfit starting ''Sigma 2'' sports this. Hilariously pointed out in Nowgamer's "[[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/928834/top_10_side_boobs_in_games.html top ten side boobs in games]]" article.* SomeoneHasToDoIt: Momiji could not refuse being a shrine maiden even if she wanted to, her distinguished lineage gave the final word.* ThrowTheDogABone: After some dead older sister and self-depreciating heroine arroy, Momiji gets to impress the clan's Master Ninja Ryu himself to train her personally due her determination in getting stronger for Kureha and to protect the clan's children, the results are shown in ''Sigma II'' where Momiji definitely has gotten a lot stronger.* TomboyishPonytail: Pretty necessary considering her RapunzelHair would get in the way (Not that that has stopped Rachel and Kasumi, though).* TookALevelInBadass: Her growth between ''Dragon Sword'' and ''Sigma II'' was quite impressive. In ''Ninja Gaiden III'', Ryu himself recognizes how strong his pupil has become in his absence.

The Ruler of Crimson Blood and Queen of the Greater Fiends, Elizébet is the most active villain during ''Ninja Gaiden II'' for Xbox 360, also one of Vazdah's Four Deadly Greater Fiend Lords, and the blood priestess of the Fiend cult, the Order of the Necromantale. Elizébet was tasked with retrieving an important ancient artifact from the ancestral Hayabusa Village. For this she aproached the Black Spider Ninja Clan to help her with the task. In return Genshin and his followers were rewarded with fiend powers to overthrow the Dragon Ninja Clan. Later Elizébet manages to trigger Ryu's anger by capturing Sonia and spitting on Genshin's pride after she resurrects him as a complete fiend. Out of all Greater Fiends she is likely to be the one who really earned Ryu's hatred by corrupting the Black Spider Ninja Clan.

* AristocratsAreEvil: One of few Greater Fiends who are actually said to be a noble, and of course Elizébet is one of the most evil among them.* BarbieDollAnatomy: When she shows up in one cutscene wearing nothing but [[{{Squick}} blood]], Elizabét appears to be missing something...* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Her form as a Greater Fiend is nowhere as demonic looking as the other three Vazdah's Deadly Greater Fiend Lords. ** Which leads to incredible {{Squick}} since her abdomen shows off her internal organs.* BewareMyStingerTail: She will regularly try to stab you with her tail. It's not very difficult to dodge, but you'd better dodge it.* BloodBath: Elizébet sure enjoys her job as the blood priestess of the Fiend cult. Of course, consider her name is a a ShoutOut to [[TropeMaker Elizabeth Bathory]].* BloodyMurder: A very vicious long range attack has her sending multiple blood spears at you, which are not only very damaging but also [[LifeDrain refill her lifebar as they hit you]]. * {{Fanservice}}: The cutscene preceding your first boss battle with her in ''Ninja Gaiden 2''.* FemmeFatale: So much that Elizébet is the only Greater Fiend Lord that bothers assuming a human form. She likes to look that poisonous.* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen of the Greater Fiends, not much else to be said.* HornyDevils: Both Elizébet's human and fiend forms are very sexually suggestive.* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Justified in that what is holding her breasts sure aren't part of her clothes.* InformedAbility: The Queen of the Greater Fiends sure doesn't look that royal, both Marbus and the Dark God Vigoor have shown that they hold much more ground and followers than Elizébet did.* KickTheDog: Literally kicked Genshin in the head after Ryu vanquished him for good, spitting on the fallen warrior's pride.* MeaningfulName: Elizébet's personality and her bloody design, akin to Elizabeth Bathory.* {{Manipulative B|astard}}itch: She sought the Black Spider Ninja Clan to help her steal the Demon Statue from the Dragon Ninja Clan, in return she would give them demonic powers, and she did give them power, but of course Elizébet forgot to tell them she sees them as disposable objects and eventually they would fall.* OneWingedAngel: The only Vazdah's Deadly Greater Fiend Lord who wasn't already transformed to fight against Ryu.* ThePowerOfBlood: As the Ruler of Crimson Blood, it's to be expected. She weaponizes it for several of her attacks.* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only woman among Vazdah's Four Greater Fiends, and the only relevant female Greater Fiend in the whole series.* SpeakIllOfTheDead: As mentioned under KickTheDog, she defiles Genshin's body and insults him for losing to Ryu, much to Ryu's outrage.* {{Stripperiffic}}: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] [[BadassLongcoat in her human form]] until very late in the game, where she strips down for an arcane ritual. In her Fiend form, however, she leaves much more skin exposed...[[BodyHorror along with her spine and ribs]].

The Ruler of Lightning and one of the Greater Fiends, Alexi is an antagonist in ''Ninja Gaiden II'' for Xbox 360. Awoken from his centuries-long slumber by Elizébet via the power of the Demon Statue, Alexei quickly makes a bid to conquer New York City, holding court from atop the Statue of Liberty. Despite his haughty demeanor and belief in human inferiority, he is bested in a duel with Ryu Hayabusa. However, he later shows up in the Realm of the Fiends as the ritual to resurrect the Archfiend reaches its crescendo, having recovered from his wounds and kidapped Sonia, Ryu's CIA partner. The two clash for a second time, and Ryu succeeds in slaying the arrogant demonic noble for good.

* AristocratsAreEvil: He's much more elegant and refined than most Fiends. This doesn't make him any less evil.* DisneyVillainDeath: At the climax of their first fight, Ryu sends him plummeting from the top of the Statue of Liberty.* HandsomeLech: A very subtle example. When he kidnaps Sonia near the end of the game, he goes as far as [[GoGoEnslavement dressing her up in a rather stripperiffic ensemble]], locking her in a gilded cage, and calling her "his captive bird." Earlier, he displays hints of affection [[CargoShip towards the Statue of Liberty]], but this might have been his sense of theatrics at play more than anything.* ShockAndAwe: He's the Ruler of Lightning, and can control electricity.* WingedHumanoid

The Ruler of Storms and one of the Four Greater Fiends, Volf is a vicious, four-armed werewolf and the leader of the Beast-Men tribe of Fiends. When the Greater Fiends were released, he and his lycanthropic underlings conquered the tranquil and beautiful Aqua Capital. For all of his savagery, Volf is also a proud warrior who seeks a worthy opponent.

* BadBoss: He kills several of his own werewolf minions in his introductory cutscene out of sheer ''boredom''...** BenevolentBoss: ...Then promises the survivors that they can have the castle of the Aqua Capital as a prize if they bring him a WorthyOpponent.* BloodKnight: He revels in the chance to fight [[OneManArmy Ryu Hayabusa]].* FlunkyBoss: Indirectly. Though he fights Ryu alone, the rest of the Lycanthropes in the audience come bounding into the ring upon their master's death. [[spoiler: Volf plays this trope straight when Ryu encounters him in the Fiend Realm, leading a pack of centaur-esque demons into battle.]]* MultiArmedAndDangerous: He boasts four arms, like a werewolf version of Goro.* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: More specifically, ''this'' one has four arms, tattoos, a long white mane, a huge scythe, and can talk perfectly well.* SinisterScythe: He wields a particularly nasty weapon called the Eclipse Scythe, an ancestral weapon handed down from one Beast Lord to the next.* VictoryIsBoring: He and his lycanthropes conquer the Aqua Capital with barely any effort. And he's not happy about that.* [[PrettyWhiteHairdBoy Not-So-Pretty White-Haired Wolf-Man]]* WorthyOpponent: He comes to view Ryu as one, and challenges him to a proper duel in the Colosseum.

The Ruler of Flames and one of the Four Greater Fiends, he is perhaps the most demonic of them in appearance, resembling a monstrous devil with pitch-black skin and bat-like wings. He has a low opinion of humanity, considering them little better than primates, and claims to have bestowed fire upon them centuries ago (without which, he insists, they would have been nothing). Upon his release, he lays siege to a Russian-esque city in Northern Europe and eradicates their military, demanding that they submit or die.

* BeenThereShapedHistory: A rather subtle example, as he claims to have given fire to humanity.* BullyingADragon: Mocks and insults Ryu, a ninja who's already succeeded in defeating both Volf and Alexei by this point.* DeathByIrony: After Ryu bests in in the clock tower, he's consumed in his own flames.* FantasticRacism: He looks down as humans as little more than "monkeys," even throwing Ryu into this category.* OneManArmy: His introductory cutscene has him delivering a CurbStompBattle to a well-armed modern army.* PlayingWithFire: With a title like Ruler of Flames, is that really a surprise?* RedEyesTakeWarning* WingedHumanoid

Originally a human philosopher in ancient times, Dagra Dai roamed the earth while the Fiends battled for supremacy. Stumbling upon the resting place of the Arch-Fiend Vazdah, Dagra Dai gazed into its eyes and was transformed into a Fiend, himself. From that point onward, he took the title of Infernal High Priest and brought the Four Greater Fiends together under the Arch-Fiend's banner. In the present, Dagra is the second main antagonist of Ninja Gaiden II. having orchestrated the release of the Four Greater Fiends and the ritual that will ensure Vazdah's resurrection.

* AllThereInTheManual: His whole backstory is only revealed through in-game documents. Otherwise, he's more or less a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere.* CombatTentacles: After going OneWingedAngel.* TheDragon: To the Archfiend.** CoDragons: With Elizabet, as she seems to be almost as important as he is.** DevourTheDragon: A willing example--he sacrifices himself to the Archfiend in order to complete its resurrection.* DualWielding: Fights Ryu with a pair of golden swords.* GameBreakingBug: Tecmo has recently put a patch that makes it nearly impossible to fight him without having the game crash.* HumanoidAbomination: Though he was human once, he isn't anymore.* OneWingedAngel: An interesting case, as he adopts this form right away when Ryu breaks into his lair.* OrcusOnHisThrone: He prefers to let Elizabet take care of setting the other Greater Fiends loose, and only comes into play at the very end when performing the ritual to resurrect the Archfiend* TranshumanTreachery: He was human once, before encountering the Archfiend.

The Ninja Overlord, Master Ninja of the Black Spider Ninja Clan and later one of the Five Greater Fiends of Vazdah in the Xbox 360 game, Genshin is the best and most ruthless ninja the Spider Clan has ever created, with eternal lust for power and hatred towards the Dragon Ninja Clan. He didn't think twice when Elizébet offered him more power for his clan and an excuse to anihililate the whole dragon lineage and its followers. Genshin successfuly destroyed great part of the Dragon Ninjas' village up to fighting against Joe Hayabusa, and managed to steal the Demon Statue for Elizébet. Ryu fights against Genshin four times during the story. In the third he kills him, but Genshin is resurrected by Elizébet as a Greater Fiend. Ryu once again prevails and finished Genshin off once and for all. Despite Genshin's hatred for Ryu's clan it seems both of them develop a mutual respect during their fights; it is clear that when Genshin died most of his hatred was gone, and Ryu was infuriated when Elizébet spit on Genshin's pride.

* AboveGoodAndEvil: Joe Hayabusa accuses Genshin's clan to be corrupted by evil, Genshin remarks that the ninja way knows neither good nor evil.* AnimalMotifs: The Spider, his armor has this theme.* ArchEnemy: Of the entire Dragon Lineage.* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Genshin not only is the Master Ninja for the Black Spider Ninja Clan, but he is so strong, stronger than any other the Spider Clan ever had, with this Genshin just had to be appointed as their leader.* BackFromTheDead: Died in his third fight against Ryu, Elizébet resurrected Genshin as a Vazdah Greater Fiend. * {{Badass}}: Genshin reeks of badassery, leading the Black Spider Ninja Clan through sheer power and proving his skills are worthy of a Master Ninja.* BenevolentBoss: While Genshin is credited for being a ruthless and violent Overlord, many Spider Ninjas seems to adore and respect him, many Spider Clan scrolls will note how respectable Genshin is.* {{BFS}}: Blade of The Archfiend.* DarkSkinnedBlond: A male variation.* DrivenByEnvy: The Black Spider Ninja Clan being in the Dragon Ninja Clan's shadow for generations took its toll on Genshin, he grew to hate Dragon Lineage entirely, their downfall is Genshin's ultimate goal.* ItsPersonal: Genshin's entire motivation for going along Elizébet plans, he really wants the Dragon Lineage to be extinct.* LargeAndInCharge: Genshin borders on giant, even towering some of his Ninjas that were converted into fiends while still a human, and of course Genshin is the one in charge.* LightningBruiser: Powerful and fast, ''very'' fast; Genshin is just too damn fast, an athletic Ninja like Ryu has to keep his eyes focused against a giant like Genshin due his speed.* MirrorBoss: To an extent - he can use the Flying Swallow, the counter-attack, the Piercing Void Ninpo (in Sigma II only), has an Ultimate Technique similar to Ryu's in Greater Fiend form, [[MegaManning and Ryu picks up his Underworld Drop after getting the Blade of the Archfiend]].* {{Ninja}}: Holds both Master Ninja and Clan Leader status.* OneWingedAngel: Coming back as a Vazdah Greater Fiend.* PlayingWithFire: Genshin's primary elemnet for his Ninpo is fire.* RecurringBoss: You face off with him four times in the game.* TakeUpMySword: In his last breath Genshin passes the Blade of the Archfiend to Ryu, he uses it along with the True Dragon Sword in ''Ninja Gaiden II''.

The main girl for Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360} and ''Sigma II'', Sonia is [[spoiler: Irene Lew]] under an alias during the events of the second Xbox game, again she is a CIA agent tasked with teaming up with Ryu Hayabusa to prevent the Archfiend from returning. Different from her NES counterpart, Sonia is not so harmless, she proved herself to be quite dependable and gutsy when fiends are not involved; when fiends are involved however, Ryu is up to task and ready to rescue Sonia. Notable for her small red tatoo above her breasts and beautiful body figure as a whole, [[spoiler: Sonia's design sticks for Irene Lew during the ''Dead or Alive'' series]].

* ActionGirl: She can prove herself when fiends are not involved.* ActionGirlfriend: Teaming up with Ryu with her bazooka, [[spoiler: she's really Irene Lew under an alias so it's official]]. * [[spoiler: AdaptationDyeJob: Sonia's hair color is what sticks for Irene Lew as seen in ''Dead or Alive'']].* {{BFG}}: The bazooka Sonia uses to aid Ryu.* ContinuityNod: Just the fact that Sonia was confirmed to be [[spoiler: Irene Lew]] in ''Dead or Alive'' served to really tie the Xbox series as happening before the NES series, Itagaki in his last days at Tecmo was really contradicting about the series continuity.* DistressedDamsel: When captured by Elizébet and later by Alexei.* [[spoiler: FanServicePack: When she was revealed to be Irene Lew in ''Dead or Alive'', Sonia became the embodiment of this, ''literally'']].* FauxActionGirl: While playing the CIA Agent role better than her [[spoiler: NES counterpart]], Sonia can fall in this quickly when greater threats are involved.* GunsAkimbo: She wields two gns at the beginning of the game and actually succeeds in killing two Black Spider Ninja.* MissionControl: For Ryu as of ''Dead or Alive''.* ShipTease: Sonia was the only girl in the Xbox series whom Ryu showed some afftection for, he was really worried about her in the Underworld and they shared a good hug in the end.* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Sonia, a CIA agent tasked to work with Ryu, who frequently straddles between ActionGirl and FauxActionGirl to DistressedDamsel status in the modern series replaces Irene, a CIA agent tasked to work with Ryu, who frequently straddles between Action Girl and Faux Action Girl to Distressed Damsel status in the NES trilogy. In fact, they were so similar that eventually in ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'' [[spoiler:it was revealed that Sonia was Irene's alias during the events of ''[[{{Xbox 360}} Ninja Gaiden II]]'', making Sonia and Irene one and the same for good]].

Mizuki's daughter. She is a bit afraid of Ryu at first but quickly gets a liking to him.

* [[spoiler:AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: That monster you slay at the beginning of vanilla ''Ninja Gaiden III'' ? Yeah, it's her.]]* BreakTheCutie: She doesn't take [[spoiler: Ryu killing her father]] very well.* ButNotTooForeign: She's a quarter Japanese, three-fourths-English.* CuteMute: She uses her cell phone to communicate most of the time. She regains her speech near the end of the game.* DistressedDamsel: She gets captured twice. * [[spoiler:FinalBoss]]: [[spoiler:Transformed as a goddess and equipped with the Dragon Sword]].* [[spoiler:HappilyAdopted: Mizuki is actually her biological aunt, but Canna doesn't really care about that.]]* MoralityPet: Becomes one for Ryu. * [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After Ryu manages to change her back to normal, she is shown to be remorseful over what she said to him prior to her transformation.]]* [[spoiler: OneWingedAngel: Rather unwillingly, courtesy of her uncle.]]* ParentalAbandonment: Her parents died in an accident when she was very young. (Mizuki is her biological aunt, adoptive mother.) The resulting trauma caused her muteness. * ShipperOnDeck: She really wants Ryu to be her daddy, which implies being more than JustFriends with Mizuki. For bonus points, they are literally on a deck when she says it to him.* [[spoiler:YouKilledMyFather:]] "MURDEREEEEER!!!"[[/folder]]

Mizuki's Brother-in-law. She jokingly describes him as a MadScientist since he conceives strange advanced weapons such as Ryu's [[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum target-locking bow]]. [[spoiler: Turns out, he ''really'' is a MadScientist, responsible for bringing his brother Theodore back to life as the Regent of the Mask and turning Canna into what he calls a "Goddess".]]

* [[spoiler:AdamAndEvePlot:]] What he wants to do with [[spoiler:Canna]] of all people.* [[spoiler:EvilAllAlong]]* [[spoiler:EvilUncle: To Canna.]]* [[spoiler:EvilutionaryBiologist: Comes with the territory when you're a high-ranking member of the LOA.]]* [[spoiler:GreenEyedMonster: His entire motivation wasn't his having been born into the Alchemy cult, but his jealousy of his seemingly perfect brother.]]* [[spoiler:IncestSubtext: After he turns Canna into a huge monster and he begins to transform himself, he states that he will be the Adam to her Eve.]]* [[spoiler:MakeItLookLikeAnAccident:]] [[spoiler:How he killed Canna's parents.]]* [[spoiler:TheManBehindTheMan]]* MissionControl: In Day 6, although [[{{Foreshadowing}} suspiciously unserious and unconcerned]]. He actually stops speaking to you as soon as you enter the first cavern in the level.* [[spoiler: NoSell: When Ryu shoots an arrow at him during their fight, Cliff reminds him of who actually made it, and destroys it.]]* [[spoiler:OneWingedAngel:]] In the last act.* WalkingSpoiler: Duh.[[/folder]]

The second CanonImmigrant from the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series, debuting in the re-release for Wii U ''Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge'' as a free DLC character. Although she also got a very brief cameo in ''Sigma 2'', but only as TheFaceless.

Kasumi is the younger sister of Hayabusa's childhood friend Hayate, from the Mugen Tenshin Clan. She's also Ayane's older half-sister. In the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series, Hayabusa watches over her after she became a runaway ninja for avenging her brother.

* AbsoluteCleavage: When she wears her traditional blue and white costumes.* ActionGirl: She already showed this trait in her own series, but here it shines even more.* {{Badass}}: Again, cutting her enemies in half without flinching makes her look this even more than in ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive''. Which is saying something.** BadassAdorable: She doesn't get to show her kind personality, but she's still a cute as ever.** BadassCape: With her default costume. Specially created for ''Razor's Edge''.** BadassPrincess: Or rather "Badass Heir of a Ninja Clan".* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[RuleOfThree Even more than in her own series]]!* BraidsOfAction: One of her alternative hair styles.* BrownEyes: To illustrate her kind temper and that she's more down to earth than her half-sister.* CanonImmigrant: From the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series.* CherryBlossoms: Her motif, and appear from time to time while she fights.* CleavageWindow: With her default costume, formed between the [[SpyCatsuit Ninja Catsuit]]'s cleavage itself and her BadassCape.* TheFaceless: Her cameo in ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2''. We only get to see her from her back.* FinishingStomp: Her version of the Izuna Drop, which is a variation of one of her grabs from the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series. She stomps her victim's head again and again in mid-air until she finally crushes it to the ground.** EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: The "XXX>Y" variant has her grabbing her enemies and spinning backwards before crushing them, similarly to Ayane's drop.* FuumaShuriken: She can combine her throwing knives to create one, including a PrecisionGuidedBoomerang effect. If fully charged, it can cut any enemy in two through the waist.* FlashStep: Another of her trademark moves, albeit here appears as a game mechanic common to all characters.* GoodIsNotSoft: She's still the nice, kind, ReluctantWarrior she was from her own series. Gentle however does not enter into the equation, she's basically a human ginsu that shows even the ''MortalKombat'' characters how disemboweling into itty bitty pieces is done.* HighlyVisibleNinja: Albeit her costumes don't stand out as much as the other female characters, she's still not very concern with being seen.* HimeCut: Her other alternative hair style, and arguably [[LettingHerHairDown the most popular one]].* {{Kamehamehadoken}}: Her Ninpo, the Rending Wind. Its effect is similar to the Piercing Void, with the possibility of an additional radius attack at the end.* JackOfAllStats: Similar to how she is in Dead or Alive, she is very balanced and has a lot of tricks up her sleeves.** LightningBruiser: She can potentially be one of the best characters in the game in the hands of an advanced player. Whilst she doesn't have Ryu's ease of use nor his defense, she does have deadlier moves, just tricky to pull off. She's also the second fastest character after Ayane.* KatanasAreJustBetter: Her famous wakizashi from ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' gets upgraded to a katana (although its length is closer to a ninjato).* [[{{Ninja}} Kunoichi]]: And a pretty high ranked one in her own clan. Or at least, she used to.* LadyOfWar: Despite being so young, she has a distinctive grace, even in her bloodier moments.* PantyFighter: Three of her four costumes in ''Razor's Edge'' leaves her panties visible.* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Itagaki was the sole reason Kasumi never appeared in Ninja Gaiden since day one, the creator was very vocal when saying his ''daughter'' Kasumi isn't the type of person that engaged in the same brutalities as Ryu did, phrasing that she was too pure for this, by the time Kasumi cameo'd in ''Sigma II'' Itagaki was no longer part of ''Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo'', he had already lost the reigns on his "daughter".* RedheadedHeroine: Although she's only a GuestCharacter in ''Razor's Edge'', she's the protagonist of the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive''series.* ReverseGrip: She wields her katana this way, which is actually how ninjas usually wielded their ninjatos in RealLife.* SheFu: Her agility is a view to behold.* SpyCatsuit: Her default costume in ''Razor's Edge'', which comes from ''Dead or Alive 5'' (and looks suspiciously similar to the one Hayabusa wears), plus [[BadassCape a blue cape]] to boot.* StockNinjaWeaponry: A ninjato-length [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], kunais (although the ones she actually trows look more like Western knives) and a FuumaShuriken (formed by said knives).* TeleportSpam: A prominent aspect of her fighting style.* TomboyishPonytail: Her default hair style.* TookALevelInBadass: Or rather 'conformability in gore'. Previously, Kasumi was usually [[ReluctantWarrior reluctant to fight unless there was no other choice]]. Now she seems okay in splattering the blood of evildoers at first sight. Could be justified that during Tecmo's run with Itagaki, he explicitly wanted to avoid a bloody and gory environment for Kasumi. Since he left...* TrueBlueFemininity: She leans toward this more than in her original series (the prominent blue cape in her [[SpyCatsuit Ninja Catsuit]], her iconic blue kimono and another, more traditional woman kimono).* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened to the New Costume?]]: In ''Sigma 2'' she wears a variation of her traditional blue costume. Although we only got to see the back side, fans really liked it and many of them were eager to see it properly. Too bad it hasn't appeared ever since, neither in ''Razor's Edge'' nor in the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series.* WomanInWhite: Her famous second costume from the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series is available in ''Razor's Edge''.* ZettaiRyouiki: In her traditional blue and white costumes.[[/folder]]

A member of the Japanese ministry of defense, who meets Ryu at the beginning of the game, saying to him: "we don't need your help, you need ours", before showing him the message of the terrorists who took over London.

* MissionControl: In the last two missions.* TraitorShot: In the middle of Day 3, he is shown to observe Cliff and Mizuki rather suspeciously through his [[ScreensAreCameras screen or… camera or whatever.]] [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope It turns out Cliff was the real traitor and Ishigami was suspicious of him.]]]]* [[spoiler:UnwittingPawn:]] [[spoiler:LOA had infiltrated the ministry and ordered to send Ryu to London, but he only understood after they attacked the Yunagi.]][[/folder]]

The big cheese of the Lords of Alchemy multinational, which makes all sorts of things, from toys to war weapons. However, LOA's true research lies in combining old alchemical secrets with advanced science to bring about a new world...even if that means destroying the current one in the process.

* BigBad: As the chairman of LOA, he's the mastermind behind their plan to conquer the world...** [[spoiler: DiscOneFinalBoss: Though you end up killing him before your final confrontations in the game.]]* BaldOfEvil: Not a hair on his head, not a drop of conscience in his soul.* CoolChair: He sits in a pretty sweet-looking combination of a wheelchair and a throne. It serves as the core and cockpit for his HumongousMecha* EvilOldFolks: His advanced age is matched only by his lack of ethics.* HumongousMecha: What he uses to fight Ryu. It includes...** ArmCannon: Its arms end in powerful dual-barrel cannons.** BeamSpam: Laser weaponry** FireBreathingWeapon: The aforementioned [[ArmCannon Arm Cannons]].** GoodThingYouCanHeal: Sort of--by devouring and assimilating nearby wreckage, it can convert the mass to re-configure itself if damaged.** MacrossMissileMassacre: Multiple missile launchers located on its shoulders.** ShockAndAwe: Its jaws house a powerful high-voltage emitter.* {{Hypocrite}}: He denounces Ryu as some terrible "slayer of lives," yet his organization has been responsible for more than a few deaths up to this point.* ManInWhite: He sports a natty white suit with a red shirt beneath. [[LightIsNotGood It serves to demonstrate his holier-than-thou complex.]]* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans[=/=]ItIsBeyondSaving: If his (long) MotiveRant before you finish him is anything to go by.[[/folder]]

* [[spoiler:AssholeVictim: Given her mocking and insulting treatment of Ryu, Canna, and Mizuki, she's easily among the ''least'' sympathetic of Ryu's RoguesGallery.]]* BlondesAreEvil* InkSuitActor: [[http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Ninja-Gaiden-3/Lovelace/ She looks a suspicious lot]] like her English voice actress.* MadScientist* [[spoiler: OneWingedAngel / BalefulPolymorph: She's pushed into her own experiment by the Regent of the Mask, transforming her into a creepy monster that Ryu has to defeat.]]* [[spoiler:RasputinianDeath: She is thrown into her own experiment, has her arms cut off several times, is decapitated and finally has her head cut in two vertically. There is a good chance she's dead for good.]]* TechnoBabble: She tries very hard to make her explanation of the Virtual Simulator sound meaningful. * [[spoiler:WeHardlyKnewYe]] [[spoiler:Appears at the beginning of Day 4 and dies at the end.]][[/folder]]

A member of the Japanese Air Defense Force, assisting Ryu throughout the third game.

* AcePilot: To pull off what she and [[spoiler:Robert T. Sturgeon]] do at the beginning of Day 7, you have to be at least this!* AlliterativeName* ButNotTooForeign: She's said to be half-English, half-Japanese.* MissionControl: During the first three days. Although most of what she says during missions [[CaptainObvious doesn't really have any informative value.]]* [[spoiler:ParentalSubstitute: To Canna, after the latter's real parents had an accident.]]* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: She and Ryu unhesitatingly continue to fight against the Lords of Alchemy even after being criticized by the U.S. Army for their actions.* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Borderline parodied if it weren't over with so quickly. She gets dragged away by one villain because she's got a gun to her back and is fearing for her daughter's life. When another villain appears grabbing her by the upper arm, she swats the hand away the second she sees her daughter safe.[[/folder]]

The BigBad of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' [[spoiler:or so it seems at first]]. The game begins with him taking hostages in the middle of London with his terrorist group and assassinating the British Prime Minister. After fighting Ryu, he places a curse on his right arm, forcing the Dragon Ninja to endure the pain of all the people he killed. [[spoiler:He is also Canna's father and Cliff's brother, brought BackFromTheDead, brainwashed and used by LOA. He comes back to his senses and helps Ryu at the end of the game.]]

* ActionFigureSpeech* AlchemyIsMagic* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead]]* [[spoiler:BackToBackBadasses:]] With Ryu in the last level, similarly to Momiji.* BadassLongcoat: Part of his attire.* [[spoiler:BigDamnHeroes: He saves Ryu and kills OneWingedAngel Cliff in the last act]].* [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy: By the Lords of Alchemy thanks to his mask. Destroying it causes his HeelFaceTurn.]]* CombatCommentator: He sends amused comments at you during the boss fights of Day 3 and 4.** Shooting an arrow at him whilst he watches you fight will have deflect the arrow effortlessly and laugh. * CoolMask: Another part of his attire.** MalevolentMaskedMan** WhiteMaskOfDoom* CoolSword** RoyalRapier* EvilCounterpart: To Ryu. * FauxSymbolism: [[invoked]]--> "Every nation must immediately agree to our terms of surrender. You have seven days. Exactly the number of days it took God to create this world."* GlovedFistOfDoom: The third part of his attire.* [[spoiler:GuestStarPartyMember: Joins Ryu on the final stage to help him get to Canna.]]* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn:]] After his mask is destroyed.* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: Apparently, lifting the curse from Ryu's arm required to die by his hand.]] Talk about an AwesomeButImpractical curse!* InTheHood: The final part of his attire.* KickTheDog: The first thing we see him do is kill the freaking Prime Minister. The hostages probably didn't all get away alive either. And then there is him [[spoiler:pushing Lovelace into the egg; though, given that Lovelace had proven to be a mega-bitch herself, that probably counts more as KickTheSonOfABitch.]]* LargeHam[=/=]MilkingTheGiantCow: Comes with the territory of going into lengthy esotheric speeches about God, the universe or the end of the world.* LightningBruiser: One of the very few characters to match Ryu's speed, and whilst his slashing attacks aren't painful, it's his grabs that will absolutely destroy you. * OccultBlueEyes * [[spoiler: PapaWolf: Even if killing his daughter will result in saving the rest of the world, he won't let you hurt her.]] Later subverted [[spoiler: when he reveals that he'd intentionally said that in order to get the opportunity to free Ryu of the Grip of Murder and give him the chance to stop Canna, believing that Ryu can stop her without killing her.]] In the end, he was right.* RecurringBoss* WakeUpCallBoss: He's not as unforgiving as Murai since your lifebar is maxed-out from the beginning in ''3'', but he's clearly the first enemy of the game that will pose you a challenge. In harder difficulties, he becomes ThatOneBoss.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yaiba Kamikaze]]The main protagonist of this SpinOff game. He is killed by Ryu Hayabusa at the beginning and he is revived by Miss Monday. He's now a Cyborg Ninja working for Forge Industries as it uncovers the zombie infection that is spreading across Russia. Oh, and he wants Ryu Hayabusa. Really bad.

* AntiHero: In the trailers. In the full game, he's clearly a VillainProtagonist and admits as much. * ArtificialLimbs: Has a robotic left arm.* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Which is upgraded to DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist later on.]]* BetaCouple: With Miss Monday.* TheBrute: A texbook example.* BloodKnight: He is only interested in killing something.* BullyingADragon: Knowing full well who he is and what he can do, he calls out Ryu. Yaiba is then [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped by Ryu]]. [[spoiler:Twice.]]* DeadpanSnarker: To Miss Monday.* [[spoiler:DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: He dies two more times. He survives from a thousand-meter Izuna Drop by Ryu and Miss Monday revives him once more after he freed (and killed) himself from Del Gonzo's control. At the start of their fight, Ryu even lampshades it.]]--> [[spoiler:'''Ryu''': "Why won't you stay dead?"]]* ElementalPowers: He has fire, lightning, and ''bile'' as both his strengths and weaknesses.* EleventhHourSuperpower: Monday gives him an upgrade ''mid-battle'' to [[spoiler:counterattack Ryu's True Inferno]]* ExplosiveLeash: Has one in his heart to ensure that he is doing his job.* {{Expy}}: To {{Deadpool}} (personality,though he's a lot darker), [[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Raiden]] (cybernetics), and [[NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] (revenge) himself.* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: Not intended to be, but he saves Ryu and Momiji from his ExplosiveLeash (by ripping it out along with heart) which was about to be activated by Del Gonzo.]]* ImprovisedWeapon: He "creates" his weapons out of severing zombies and gigantic robot dogs.* ItsPersonal: He just wants to kill Ryu.* JerkAss: That is an understatement.** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Ryu, of all people, believes that Yaiba still has goodness left in him.]]** JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Though Yaiba is more proud being this.* LargeHam* MeaningfulName: Kamikaze means "Divine Wind". The kanji 風 in his robotic left arm reads as "kaze", meaning "wind".* NotSoDifferent: In Miss Monday's research of Ryu, she compares him to Yaiba about how similar they are. Both men were easily killed in an encounter, brought back to life, and have been on extracting revenge.* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: His very reason of joining Forge Industries, he wants to get his hands on Ryu.* SirSwearsALot: Easily the most foul-mouthed character in the whole series.* SmallNameBigEgo: Just another random mook that Ryu slaughtered.* SwissArmyWeapon: His robotic left arm is one.* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Del Gonzo takes advantage of his revenge against Ryu so he can stop him from thwarting his plans.]]* VillainProtagonist: There's not even a shred of good in him.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miss Monday]]The HotScientist who brought Yaiba back to life via cybernetics. She serves as his MissionControl during his investigation of the zombie outbreak.

* BetaCouple: With Yaiba.* BiTheWay: Implied. While she has an interest for Yaiba, in her research of Momiji, she takes a liking for her outfit and even pops a "lady boner".* EvilGenius: Was she who reconstructed Yaiba.* HotScientist: Yaiba actually suspects she is just a hologram and that she can't even exist or is actually a very ugly old woman.[[spoiler: Nope. He's wrong]].* ILoveTheDead: Despite repeatedly rebuffing Yaiba's come-ons, [[spoiler: she did already have sex with him once: [[{{Squick}} while she was in the process of rebuilding him]].]]* MissionControl: Along with Del Gonzo.* MsExposition: As MissionControl, that is a given.* MsFanservice: * TechnoBabble: In the first mission, she explains Yaiba about his cybernetic enhancements.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Alarico Del Gonzo]]The boss of Forge Industries which Miss Monday and subsequently Yaiba work for. [[spoiler:He is also the one responsible for the whole zombie outbreak.]]

* [[spoiler:AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: In the final mission.]]* [[spoiler:DarkLordOnLifeSupport]]* [[spoiler:EvilAllAlong]]* {{Expy}}: [[spoiler:To Cliff Higgins of ''Ninja Gaiden III''.]]* [[spoiler:FinalBoss:]]** [[spoiler:FinalExamBoss: By the time you fight him, you should know all the ElementalPowers combinations to damage him.]]* [[spoiler:ManipulativeBastard: He's responsible for the zombie outbreak in Russia and takes advantage of Yaiba's revenge against Ryu so he can get rid of the latter from foiling his plans.]]* ManOfWealthAndTaste* MissionControl: Along with Miss Monday. [[spoiler:After his VillainousBreakdown, he taunts Yaiba.]]* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: According to Miss Monday, after Yaiba and Ryu foil his plans he has gone insane and has killed some people.]]* WalkingSpoiler[[/folder]]----